23 replies to this topic

[anim8tr]

With SEO in mind and using CSS layouts, I'm trying to create a page containing an article with a small box (for additional content) positioned in the upper right corner of the article section. I would like to have the main article text wrap underneath the small box so that there's not a empty space under the box.

Every topic I've read on CSS positioning contains this structure

<div>
<h1>Topic Title</h1>
<div style="float:right;">Link Content</div>
<p>Article Content</p>
</div>

The issue with this approach is that the search engines will scan the "Link Content" before the "Article Content". I want the search engines to scan the "Article Content" before they scan the "Link Content"

If I move the code for the "Link Content" box after the "Article Content", the "Link Content" box will display below the "Article Content" section, rather than to the top-right of the article. I want the "Article Content" to wrap around the "Link Content" box.

Are there any CSS pros out there that can help provide a cross-browser solution for doing this?

Thanks!

[chrishirst]

Every topic I've read on CSS positioning contains this structure

Yep that would be the simplest way to position it

Well you could, but it will be a lot of messing about for absolutely no benefit whatsoever and of course screw up completely for accessibilty user agents.

I'll bet you've been reading some crap "articles" about words appearing first being seen as more important haven't you.

[Jill]

The issue with this approach is that the search engines will scan the "Link Content" before the "Article Content". I want the search engines to scan the "Article Content" before they scan the "Link Content"

Why?

[anim8tr]

I'm not sure if I've been necesarily reading "crap articles", but I have read over and over again that keyword proximity is fairly important and I'd like to keep the keywords that I'm using in the article close to the head tag and title tags. If I place a bunch of links in between the head tag and the article content I'm worried that these keywords will lessen my SEO efforts for those keywords (contained in the title, head and article.

The links are less important to me from my SEO perspective. Am I off base?

Yep that would be the simplest way to position it

Well you could, but it will be a lot of messing about for absolutely no benefit whatsoever and of course screw up completely for accessibilty user agents.

I'll bet you've been reading some crap "articles" about words appearing first being seen as more important haven't you.

[chrishirst]

Way way waaaayy off.

[Randy]

The links are less important to me from my SEO perspective. Am I off base?

Yup.

You're placing a hurdle in front of you that is completely needless since the small link block will have no effect on ranking of the page for the keywords in your article.

[Jill]

I'm not sure if I've been necesarily reading "crap articles", but I have read over and over again that keyword proximity is fairly important

I can tell you for sure...

You've been reading crap articles. Make that articles.

[anim8tr]

wow... nothing like rubbing my nose in it even more (although I will say that the importance of keyword proximity did come up at a recent HR Seminar). Oh well, I guess I'll stop worrying...

I can tell you for sure...

You've been reading crap articles. Make that articles.

Edited by anim8tr, 28 April 2007 - 06:31 PM.

[chrishirst]

keyword proximity

Is the relation of one word to another in a sentence or phrase. And is useful when optimising for phrases but isn't a make or break thing.

What you're asking about is the so-called keyword prominence

[anim8tr]

Sorry, but I'm definitely refering to a concept called "keyword proximity" which Google has made mention of, as well as HR...

Is the relation of one word to another in a sentence or phrase. And is useful when optimising for phrases but isn't a make or break thing.

What you're asking about is the so-called keyword prominence

[piskie]

Some things on this Forum (IMO) are too readily declared a Non-Fact. There "May" be some mileage in order and poiximety but I don't expect that "Oppinion" to go unchalenged and I will probably get me nose rubbed in the same pile as anim8tr.

[jehochman]

Jill distinguishes herself by actually testing and investigating stuff that other people just spout off about. You'd be amazed how some "facts" gets passed around so much that people accept them as true, without any scientific evidence whatsoever.

If you chase these myths to the source, the trail usually leads to ISOS.

[Jill]

(although I will say that the importance of keyword proximity did come up at a recent HR Seminar).

By whom?

[anim8tr]

Jill,

There was mention of it in the copywriting section as well as the linking strategies section. I did not take notes word for word, but the slides handed out for the linking strategies section mention:

"anchor text tells the SE what the page is about"
- (note: I do not want my page to be "defined" by the links)

"get descriptive text surrounding the link when possible"
- (note: concerned that my css layout may produce unpredictable SEO results)

"search engines these days are thought to be using block level analysis where links are grouped"
- (note: an example of this was also mentioned in the copywriting section)

I do not recall where I had heard or read about whether or not Google uses keyword proximity, but it might have been at one of the seminars at the SES conference in Chicago last December.

By whom?

Edited by anim8tr, 29 April 2007 - 09:31 AM.

[chrishirst]

"anchor text tells the SE what the page is about"
- (note: I do not want my page to be "defined" by the links)

That's for the page that is being linked TO. And you absolutely DO want this to happen.

"get descriptive text surrounding the link when possible"
- (note: concerned that my css layout may produce unpredictable SEO results)

Text in a container that is "floated" is NOT being surrounded by the text in the container following it.

what the above quote refers to is;
<span> This is some descriptive text that is in close proximity to the <a href="pagename">anchor text</a> the link to the other page</span>

You are mixing up what browsers render visually and what non-visual user agents "see"

A non-visual UA such as SE bots/indexers simply loads the source code for the page and reads the code/text in the straight line, so your "link block" is read as seperate lines of text to your content block.

so the SE would get

CODE

Text in header
link
link
link
...

Start of the content is here ....

The only thing I would change would be to bring the H1 header below the floated container (in the source) and increase the top margin (or padding) on the link container to give the appropriate visual alignment.
This would (in document structure terms) set the H1 to apply to the following text (in the content container) rather than apply to the link block as well.